Misaeng is about office workers dealing with office politics and the work stresses. Our male lead, GeuRae, was a GO player who ends up getting an internship at an international trading company through connections. He is incredibly shy and introspective so quickly becomes the butt of a lot of the other interns' jokes and is targeted because of his background. He only has a GED while everyone else have university degrees, so they see some hypocrisy, some unfairness there because he's been given this opportunity they all had to fight really hard to get. However, due to his unique critical thinking skills and intense work ethic, he is able to find a place at the company, developing a strong sense of purpose and camaraderie with his team.

What struck me about Misaeng was how instantly I was drawn and invested to the characters. Every character, lead and support all play a critical role in someone's arc. Mr. Oh who is our male lead's team leader. He is known to be a chill but meticulous worker, and I absolutely loved his interaction and his developing relationship with GeuRae. And then I also loved watching him try and balance his moral integrity with some of the kind of sketchy work situations that he's put into.
Through our female lead we explore some sexist attitudes. There is a lot more going on with her beyond just being a woman in an all-boys club kind of environment, which takes a while to develop. There are quite a few questions that keep getting presented throughout the course of the series that keep you engaged, and her backstory is one of them.
Next, we have Byun Yo Han's character who I see as 'the free-rider': The one that do nothing in a groupwork but swoop in last minute to get all of the credit. He is a little extravagant and quite annoying, but as the show develops, I see his motivations, his backstory, and he becomes one of my favorites. His arc and struggle with his boss feels very relatable.
Lastly is Kang Haneul's character. He is the intern that has it all on paper, he's got all the background and confidence... Essentially everything that our male lead lacks. However, he struggles to connect with his boss and find fulfillment from his work. And because of that, he looks to our male lead, who thrives in this environment, he gets a little bit jealous. Honestly the pairing of them was just brilliant.

I really enjoy the realistic and very genuine humor, such as characters will say the same joke once, twice, even three times throughout the series, and then it will be used to create new comedy. We will recognize the same joke and it evolves into something new. It reminded me of the inside jokes that we develop with people in our real lives, like when Mr. Oh kept tripping people and then saying the same thing after he tripped different people. I thought that was hilarious.

I have two cons. The first one being the premise is never fulfilled. Based on our male lead being admitted as an intern due to his connections, it's a really big deal in the first few episodes, as well as his GO mindset was often portrayed but it never manifests into anything special. The second one is the pacing in most episodes are very slow, ans since this series is long, it might be boring to some. But if you're interested at all, it's worth it. If you watch the first episode and are not feeling it, I think you're safe to drop it as it is a good indication of what the entire series is going to be about.